David Tennant has been embroiled in a war of words with U.K. Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch just days after he was honored at the British LGBT Awards.

Tennant, who picked up the Celebrity Ally award at the ceremony, gave an acceptance speech in which he said how important Pride was to his family, saying “we have skin in the game.” During his speech he also mentioned the U.K. Minister for Women and Equalities, Kemi Badenoch, who has said she would exclude trans women from single sex spaces.

“I suppose if I’m honest I’m a little depressed by the fact that acknowledging that everyone has the right to be who they want to be and live their life how they want to live it as long as they’re not hurting anyone else should merit any kind of special or award or special mention because it’s common sense, isn’t it?” Tennant said in his speech. “It’s human decency. We shouldn’t live in a world where that is worth remarking on. However until we wake up and Kemi Badenoch doesn’t exist anymore — I don’t wish ill of her, I just wish her to shut up — whilst we do live in this world I am honoured to receive this.”

After the video went viral on X, formerly known as Twitter, Badenoch responded on the platform, saying: “A rich, lefty, white male celebrity so blinded by ideology he can’t see the optics of attacking the only Black woman in government by calling publicly for my existence to end. Tennant is one of Labour’s celebrity supporters. This is an early example of what life will be like if they win….Do not let the bigots and bullies win”

  • Random Dent@lemmy.ml
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    5 months ago

    I can’t imagine a faster way to turn the public against you than to take a potshot at David Tennant lol.

  • Anvil Lavigne@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    5 months ago

    Kemi, you’ve gone on record essentially saying that the UK is colourblind. you’ve also said that, in your experience, racial bias always comes from the left. in light of this, what would you say are the optics of your now turning around to say this?

  • kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    When the controlling conservative party under-represents your sex and race in the U.K. government and you call the Labour Party and its supporters racist because they dare to criticize you, “the only black woman in the U.K. government”, on policy. Why aren’t there other black women in government, Kemi? And why does that make the dislike of you and your policies automatically loaded with bigotry? Smh.

  • YTG123@sopuli.xyz
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    5 months ago

    […] until we wake up and Kemi Badenoch doesn’t exist anymore […]

    Just an unfortunate choice of words. It would have been easy to foresee how this could be interpreted. That doesn’t mean she’s right, though.

    Also, does anyone have a proper definition of optics (in this context)? I’ve heard this word a lot, but I still don’t quite understand it

    • MaxHardwood@lemmy.ca
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      5 months ago

      Optics meaning like how it’s viewed by the general public or somebody not in the inside group.

  • TheReturnOfPEB@reddthat.com
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    5 months ago

    To be honest I have seen Tennant act like an rich, arrogant, entitled prick, but Shakespeare wrote the part that way for a reason.

  • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
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    5 months ago

    Imagine being minister for equality in the conservative party.

    That’s an oxymoron if I’ve already heard one. Although perhaps her job is simply to increase the inequality since that lines with conservative views.

  • ᴇᴍᴘᴇʀᴏʀ 帝@feddit.ukOP
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    5 months ago

    Do not let the bigots and bullies win

    Said one of the worst bigots and bullies in a party largely made up of some pretty terrible people.

      • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
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        5 months ago

        When you think about it that’s true of a lot of them. They make a huge amount of noise it is to be sure but they don’t really achieve anything.

        Look at Jacob Reese Mogg, he seems pretty relevant, important within the party, and influential in politics in general, yet he’s done bugger all. His entire career in politics essentially was him just appearing on television and being a twat, and backing whatever brain dead policy the conservatives have come up with on that particular day. All he achieved was to make everyone hate him. The exact opposite of what a PR representative is supposed to do.

  • Hossenfeffer@feddit.uk
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    5 months ago

    “A rich, lefty, white male celebrity…" - well, she’s not wrong. Must make a nice change for her.

    “… he can’t see the optics of attacking the only Black woman in government by calling publicly for my existence to end.” - and why hasn’t her government appointed any other black women?

    “This is an early example of what life will be like if they win….” - sweet.

    “Do not let the bigots and bullies win.” - see above.

    • HowManyNimons@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      and why hasn’t her government appointed any other black women?

      Because their biggest donor hates all black women.